


Kindness, Patience, Compassion

by HiIAmSociallyAwkwardButHereIAm



Series: Supergirl Series [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Autistic Kara Danvers, F/F, Kara Danvers Needs a Hug, Lena Luthor Finds Out Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Protective Alex Danvers, Protective Cat Grant, Protective Lena Luthor, Protective Maggie Sawyer, Young Kara Danvers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26729479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiIAmSociallyAwkwardButHereIAm/pseuds/HiIAmSociallyAwkwardButHereIAm
Summary: Kara's never liked thunderstorms. What happens when she doesn't have Alex to fall back on?
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers, Kara Danvers & Cat Grant, Kara Danvers & Clark Kent, Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers & Maggie Sawyer, Kara Danvers & Winn Schott Jr., Kara Danvers/Cat Grant, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: Supergirl Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945375
Comments: 30
Kudos: 310





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! So this is my first fanfic so please, please be kind to me (I'm a sensitive hooman 🥺). So I just want to start by saying, if you've met one person on the spectrum, you've met one person on the spectrum. I'm going to be basing what I write off of personal experiences with things like sensory overload and social confusion/anxiety, but in NO WAY will any of this be the exact same as anyone else on the spectrum experiences. We are all beautiful individuals who view the world differently, and it's crap sometimes, but it also can be good. That's pretty much it, so enjoy! (or don't, I can't really control whether or not you like my work)

She's flying when she hears the first clap of lighting. It echoed like a gunshot from her position in the sky, making her clap her hands over her ears. Seconds later a flash of lightning struck and Kara flinched back with a soft whimper. Then came the rain. It lashed at her skin, unrelenting; and while it didn't hurt her, not really, it felt like thousands of icicles jabbing at her skin. She let out a wail at the discomfort of her wet suit sticking to her skin clinging to her as the rain bucketed down. Her hair stuck to her face, and she hurriedly trying to brush it out of her eyes. It was too much. The overpowering smell of the rain, the thunder clapping, the lightning striking, the wetness of her hair and clothes, the noise of rain against pavement - it was enough to send her into a panic.

It had happened so fast, but not as fast as Kara shot to Alex's apartment. She cried out loud at the sight of Alex's window. Alex's _closed_ window. Surely Alex knew she'd be coming. She couldn't be outside any longer. She flew straight through the glass, paying no heed as it shattered around her, the noise sending her further into sensory overload. She was on the floor now, sobbing with her hands over her ears as she curled into a ball.

"Kara?" She barely registered Maggie's voice.

Maggie saw Kara crash through Alex's window, already a wreck. Maggie's eyes widened when the superhero didn't respond to her name. Alex had told her about this; Kara was autistic. Alex had told her Kara disliked storms, but she hadn't mentioned that they'd send her into a full-blown meltdown. Maggie forced herself to think clearly and wracked her brains. What had Alex told her to do? Surely she mentioned _something._

_Think Maggie. Think, think, think!_ _Shit, shit, shit._ Then Maggie remembered. She'd seen the box in her closet and asked Alex about it. Alex had responded with 'That's Kara's box. It has her favourite things in it, just in case.'

"Kara," Maggie said softly, quietly, gently, as she knelt down next to the overwhelmed Kryptonian - enough to make her presence known, but not quite touching. "I'll be right back."

She stood up slowly, remembering that Alex had said to move slowly, and switched off the apartment lights, letting down the blinds. Then, using the glow of her phone to light her path, she moved into the bedroom and retrieved the box. 

Kara couldn't think. She couldn't speak. She felt out of control. Where was Alex? She needed Alex. When Maggie came back, Kara wanted to tell her exactly what she meant, exactly what she needed. She wanted to explain, wanted to apologise because Maggie shouldn't have to deal with this - with her. But all that came out of her mouth were sobs.

"Kara," Maggie soothed. "You don't have to speak." She placed down the weighted blanket and noise cancelling headphones. "Headphones, Kara?" she said slowly, clearly. Kara whimpered, and Kara nodded hurriedly, hands still not moving from her ears. Maggie gently placed the headphones on Kara's ears, nudging her hands away, ready to stop if Kara resisted. 

Kara allowed Maggie to move her hands away from her ears, and when noise cancelling was switched on, it offered unimaginable relief.

"Blanket?" Maggie then asked, referring to the weighted blanket. Another hurried nod, and Maggie was laying the heavy blanket over Kara. She bit her lip with clear uncertainty as she saw the ground around Kara covered in glass shards and wet from the rain. It was only going to get wetter. "Kara can we go to the bedroom?" She didn't respond at first, but Maggie knew to let her have time. Her patience paid off when Kara nodded and slowly got to her feet, seeming to be crashing back down from the adrenaline rush of her meltdown. Maggie didn't touch her. At least, Maggie didn't touch her until Kara leant into Maggie's shoulder, letting the shorter woman lead them to Alex's bed. 

She helped Kara lie down, but sat to the side until Kara grasped her wrist gently, pulling her down gently. Maggie wrapped Kara - her may-as-well-be little sister - in a hug, applying deep, constant pressure. Kara buried herself in the warmth, listening to Maggie's steady, slightly muffled heartbeat, and focused on her breathing like Alex had taught her. 

A few minutes later, Maggie felt the youngest Danvers' body relax completely and her breath even out as she drifted off to sleep. Not even a moment passed of Maggie being slightly shock at the younger woman's allowance of trust before she heard keys in the lock and Alex opening the door. 

Alex froze at the sight of Maggie in her bed with... someone else. Sure, she was supposed to be gone until tomorrow, but Maggie wouldn't do that. She felt her heart thundering, which woke Kara. Kara sat up slightly and caught Alex's gaze, who breathed out a sigh of relief before realising why Kara would be here. 

"Kar," she breathed, moving towards her little sister. 

"Al," Kara replied, pulling Alex towards her sleepily. "can I stay?" she begged.

"Of course, Kar. Always."

And that was how Alex found herself spending the night with her two favourite people in the world. Just as Kara drifted off to sleep again, she and Maggie caught each other's gazes. 

"Thank you," Alex said quietly.

"Always."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's not good with change. She's not good with change at all. So what will happen when Cat decides that she wants to rearrange her and Kara's entire day at the last minute?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! As always, totally open to prompts (only innocent, nothing dirty) and looking for constructive criticism (apparently I need to get better at accepting that sh*t so what better way than from a bunch of random strangers on the internet via a screen so I can go cry in bed, right?) Seriously though, feedback is appreciated, thanks so much for reading!

Kara Danvers was not good at change. She never had been, and probably never will be. It's one of the reason she became Cat Grant's assistant. She could organise Cat's every move. She knew what was happening when, how it was happening and where it was happening, and everything always went to plan. Well, almost always. This, unfortunately, was not one of those days where everything went to plan.

Kara entered the bustling office building like she always did, carrying Ms Grant's coffee that she always got from the same place at the same time - so reliably, in fact, that the barista had started making it ahead of time - and checking the Ms Grant's timetable on her tabloid like she always did. Everything was going perfectly. Ms Grant should be arriving any moment, Kara had her coffee and was ready for the morning briefing. After that she'd call the theatre to get tickets to Wicked for Cat's mother (yes, _again),_ then she'd schedule Cat's meeting with that business man, then she'd... well, you get the point. Kara was ready for the day...

...Until she wasn't. Cat Grant arrived on time, oh yes, she always did, but the words that came out of her mouth were not ' _chop chop, to the morning briefing'_ like they usually were. And that in itself put Kara on edge. 

"Come, Kiera," Ms Grant ordered. Kara scurried into her boss's office. "I need you to rearrange my day. And yours, for that matter. First off, we're going to pick up my mother from the airport, meaning that lunch will be rescheduled because mother refuses to eat lunch before one-thirty. Book a table at that fancy Italian place. Because mother's coming we need to move-" she went on and on, and

Kara was getting more and more lost until she wasn't listening at all. She was shifting her weight from foot to foot, tapping her finger against the tabloid in an attempt to get the nervous energy out of her system. Her brain was buzzing with questions, but confusion was forefront. Confusion and an overwhelming lack of control. She felt like she was fighting the rapids of a river, trying to reach the surface, but the more change Cat was putting on her the further down she was dragged. 

Slowly, Kara felt herself ceasing to move. Her fingers stopped tapping, her body stopped swaying. She stared at nothing in particular, and didn't even notice when Cat stopped talking to call her name. Her _real_ name.

"Kara? Are you okay?" she asked softly. 

Cat Grant was no stranger to the ASD world. Her son, Carter, was on the spectrum, so naturally the moment Kara had come in, Cat had had a mother's instinct. Now, she saw the classic signs of a shutdown. Pressing her lips together, the woman did something she rarely did to the glass walls and doors leading to her office - she used the blinds on them. She'd installed them for Carter, after he'd had a meltdown in her office because of the brightness of the room. While Cat wasn't glad that they were needed by her young assistant, she was glad they were there. She'd noticed some symptoms of ASD in Kara before, of course, but she was far from a professional, and hence had never voiced it with any of Kara's friends. Not even the IT guy, Witt or whatever his name was. 

After darkening the office, Cat approached Kara. "Do you want to sit down?" It took Kara almost a full minute to process the words. And when she did, she sunk to her knees, curled in on herself. Cat then did another very un-Cat-like thing and sat down beside Kara _on the floor._

_Who do I call?_ Cat asked herself. She went through a mental list of the people she knew Kara knew who were close to her. 

"I'll be right back," she reassured the still woman beside her. 

Cat exited the room, looking to find the little IT guy. She found him at his desk, which was easy considering he sat right outside her office.

"Wit," she snapped, becoming boss-Cat-Grant again. The child in an adult's body looked at her with wide eyes as his gaze snapped from his computer screen to her face. "Keira's currently having a shutdown in my office. I know she's close to you, so maybe you know what to do." The man fumbled for a minute before taking out his phone, mumbling she'll want Alex. Cat found herself mildly jealous of whoever this 'Alex' person was, but that was for another time. Alex picked up immediately, and in an instant, she was headed over. 

"She's on her way," Winn said to Cat, who was already headed back to her office, back to Kara. 

A few minutes later, Cat and Kara were yet again sitting side by side in silence when the door to the office opened and in walked Alex. The agent moved over to her sister slowly, kneeling beside her and wrapping an arm around the younger woman's shoulders. Alex knew what to do by now. Kara liked pressure on her back, so that's what Alex would provide. She was reassured as Kara leant into her sister for support, unable to do much more than that. Alex embraced Kara fully, rearranging her sister to be more comfortably on her lap.

"You're doing great, Kar," she said softly, "You're okay."

Kara was in a shell. She knew it, she could feel it. She felt how the world slowly became non-existent around her, how outside stimuli seemed to be dulled, overpowered by her thoughts. She was thinking too much, yet couldn't think at the same time. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak. _Tired,_ she thought simply. She felt an arm wrap around her and almost panicked before recognising the distinctive pressure in the exact way she liked. Alex. Alex is safe. Alex is constant. Alex is always. She relaxed into the embrace. Alex is safe. Alex is constant. Alex is always. 

Slowly, slowly, she felt ready to come out. Come out of the shell her body had used to protect her. Come out from behind the shield that hid her from change. Come out from the depths of the river. Reaching the river surface was as exhausting as being drowned. _So tired._ She got there. Eventually. And when she opened her eyes again, she saw Alex. Because Alex is safe. Alex is constant. Alex is always.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the prompt sunnydanvers !
> 
> 'It would be great to have some Lena maybe finding out Kara’s autistic when she has a breakdown. And Lena doesn’t know what to do, so she of course calls Alex, who comes to their rescue.'
> 
> Coming right up 😝

It starts off with a stranger brushing her shoulder. Kara jumped away as if she'd been shocked. She hated crowds. Hated the loud noises, the brightness, the movement, the smells. Everything. Lena, who was walking beside her, paused and looked over at the blonde.

"Are you alright, Kara?" Lena asks, concerned.

Kara nods stiffly, because Lena doesn't know. Kara doesn't _want_ Lena to know. It's not that she doesn't trust Lena, but she didn't want to be treated differently if Lena found out she was autistic. The first time she'd told a friend she was autistic was in college. They'd started walking on eggshells around her, babying her, treating her like a small child that understands the one plus one is two. And she hated it. They treated her as if she was stupid. She wasn't stupid; she actually had an above-average IQ. But people didn't think about that. They heard the word 'autistic' and they thought about that one 'classic autistic kid' they saw throwing a 'tantrum' in the supermarket once. They saw tantrums and anger and fits. They saw the stigma. And Kara _hated_ it. Because that _wasn't her._ It _isn't_ her.She's still the bubbly, happy-go-lucky, puppylike woman all her friends and family know and love. Sometimes... sometimes she just needs a little more help. 

When they enter an even busier part of mall things intensify. The fluorescent lights are pulsing and buzzing irritatingly. _Deep breath, Kara._ She tells herself. The deep breath didn't help. She almost choked on the scent of too-strong perfumes, BO, the clothes Lena's wearing, the smell of her shampoo. No! Her shampoo is supposed to be scentless! The people around her are brushing past her again, and her hand brushes the arm of a man in a jacket. Ew! The texture! She rubs her hand violently, causing Lena to look over at her again. Kara shook her hands, needing to do _something, something, something._

The sounds around her won't filter out. The background noises are indistinguishable from the foreground noises. They blend together, making it impossible to tell what Lena's saying now. _But I need to listen! Need to listen! Need to listen!_

Everything was moving too fast, too quick, too sudden. Everything was too smelly, too strong, too overpowering. Everything felt so wrong, so icky, so harsh. Everything sounded too loud, too intense, too _there._ Everything looked too bright, too... a hand was on her arm. A hand was on her arm!

"Stop it!" she screamed. Kara shoved away the hand and stumbled back. "Stop! Stop!" People were looking- no, people were _staring._ She didn't want them to stare! Their gazes were like fire, burning into her skin. She started banging her hand against her forehead as tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Stop, stop, stop!"

Lena stared at her friend, wide eyed. Kara had pushed her, Kara had screamed at her, then Kara had broken down. _What do I do?_ she was panicking, so she did the only thing she thought she could to help Kara. She got out her phone and called Alex.

* * *

Alex was running some tests on their newest alien's blood, trying to decipher his species when her phone buzzed. Looking at the screen, she identified Lena's number. Wasn't she meant to be out with Kara?

"Hey Lena, what's up?" she asked.

"Alex, it's Kara," she said. Alex grew worried at the tone of her voice. Lena Luthor sounded... scared? "I- I don't know what happened, but we were- we were walking- and- and then she just yelled at me and now she's crying and- Alex- Alex I don't know what's happening."

It clicked in Alex's mind in an instant. Meltdown. "Lena, I need you to stay calm. Kara needs you to stay calm." The sound of a forced deep breath. "That's good. Where are you?"

"We're at the mall."

Alex cursed internally and thought of the quietest, darkest places in the mall. "Lena, you know the smaller parking lot? The one out the back?" a noise of affirming at the other end of the line. "Get Kara out there if you can. Look through her bag to see if she has her headphones and sunglasses. And ask if she wants gum if she has some. I'll be there as soon as possible.

* * *

Kara couldn't think. It was too much. Too much. Too much. She couldn't deal with the stares. She yelled, she rubbed the back of her wrist until the skin was red, she leaned forwards, then back, then forwards, then back. When she felt gentle hands guiding her, she almost yelled out again, but no. Get out, get out, get out. 

The walk to the car park seemed to take hours, when it didn't even take three minutes. The moment they got outside, Lena watched as Kara collapsed to her knees again. She looked through Kara's bag like Alex had told her to, but only found the woman's phone, the latest CatCo magazine and her car keys. Lena almost began panicking again, but then Alex showed up. She entered the parking lot on her bike, but left it at the far end, knowing Kara didn't need the extra noise. Ditching her helmet on the ground, the agent sprinted over to where her sister was on her knees, her forehead almost touching the asphalt as she rocked and rocked and rocked. 

Ignoring Lena completely, Alex knelt down next to her sister, close but not touching. Never touching at moments like this. Not until Kara gave the ok. 

"Kara," Alex said, barely even a whisper. "It's Alex. You're okay. You're safe. It's just you, me and Lena out here."

Kara leant into Alex, so her body was half on the woman's lap. Alex knew what she meant without words, knew what she needed without verbal communication. She wrapped her arms around her little sister and hugged her firmly. She didn't move, she didn't change the pressure. She kept it the same, kept it constant, kept it just how she knew Kara like it. 

* * *

Lena watched the sisters interact. It was amazing how Alex knew exactly _what_ to do, exactly _how_ to do it. And finally, ever so slowly, she saw Kara coming back. Her breathing evened out, even if there was the odd hitch in her breath, she uncurled herself from her protective ball, she opened her eyes that had been squeezed tightly shut, allowing Lena to see the beautiful - if slightly red - eyes she knew and loved. It didn't happen instantly - she didn't expect it to - but minutes later, Kara hummed softly to Alex, and Alex knew to let her go, and Kara sat up slowly. 

Kara looked towards Lena. She didn't make eye contact; she _couldn't_ make eye contact. She knew it would be too much for her. So she settled on looking at Lena's hands. She wanted to speak, she wanted to explain, but she couldn't form a coherent sentence. She tried, oh yes, she tried. But all that came out were a jumble of sounds until Alex said, "Kara. It's okay." And Alex handed Kara a notepad and pen, because Alex just _knew_ and Alex had thought ahead, because _that's_ what Alex does, because _that's_ who Alex is. 

_Can you explain?_ Kara wrote to Alex.

_Autism?_ Alex asked, not wanting to say it aloud until she was certain. Kara nodded, so Alex turned to Lena.

"Lena." The woman in question was shocked out of her daze and turned to the agent. "Kara wants me to explain what just happened." Kara leant into Alex's side, because she was just so _tired,_ and needed Alex's support right now. "Kara has ASD. Autism Spectrum Disorder." Just like that. Just like a band-aid being ripped off. Kara buried her face into her sister's shoulder, not wanting to see Lena's reaction. She knew the expressions that would cross her face, despite it having taken her years to figure it out. She was autistic, not stupid. "What just happened is called a meltdown. Kara gets them when she's under intense stress or when there's too much sensory input."

Kara wanted to hide; she didn't want to face Lena's reaction. She couldn't face Lena's reaction. But she had to. When Lena joined the duo on the floor, she spoke softly to Kara, not expecting the blonde to look at her. "All my life," she started carefully, "I was treated differently because of who I was. Because of who I am. Kara, you being autistic... it's not... it's not... You're autistic. That's a part of who you are, but it's not all you are. You are Kara Danvers, my best friend. And just because I've just found out that you're autistic, it doesn't change a _thing._ Because you were autistic before you told me, so nothing has changed. Not really. I know a fact now, but that will _never_ change the way I look at you, because I love you for who you are, and you wouldn't be Kara Danvers if you weren't authentically you. And if your authentic self is autistic, then the world just got another ray of sunshine."

Alex had been tense at first, but when Lena spoke, she softened. She softened, and she _approved._ Because if this is the sort of person her sister became 'best friends' with, then she definitely approved. 

"Thank y-you," Kara said softly, stumbling over words. It had been so hard for her to speak, it had taken her so long to think of the two words, but it was so worth it. Because the effect the words had on Lena, the smile they made her beam, that was _so_ worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'm open to prompts (nothing dirty though) thanks for reading !


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara had a bad day at work and Cat, being the amazing partner she is, stands up for Kara when she can't stand up for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, this is a pretty short chapter, but I just wanted to give those Supercat fans a little something. I promise there'll be more, but I can only do so much with the amount of time I have.
> 
> As always, I'm open to any prompts, and they'd be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Kara hates days like this. Hates the days when there's an influx of new people. New people, new names to remember, new relationships to struggle with, new people to explain things to. Things like the fact that she's autistic when they see her having a meltdown, or a shutdown, or a burnout. She has a meltdown. It was the first _freaking_ day that the new reporters were at work, and she had a freaking meltdown. 

Cat, of course, had been there, soothing her, reassuring her, telling her she loves her, that it's all right, that she'll be okay. But after - after when the whole office is looking at her but she's present enough to know - that's almost just as hard as the meltdown itself. So Kara can't talk, can't explain, because she's been caught off-guard, like a deer in the headlights. And if there's one thing Kara learnt when she left school, it's that adults aren't any kinder than kids.

So she wished she could say she was surprised when she heard: "What's wrong with her?". The voice was one of the new reporters, and she looked at her, brain trying desperately to process the words.

"Excuse me?" Cat asked, her arms still around Kara's body, as if she could protect her girlfriend from anything and everything. 

"What's wrong with her?" the girl repeated. The majority of the office that knew Kara was autistic held its breath. They knew what was coming next.

"Get out," Cat hissed.

"I'm sorry?" the girl asked.

"You're fired."

"What for?!" the girl sounded outraged.

"Nothing is _wrong_ with her, you twit!" Cat said, moving away from Kara, who didn't need Cat's anger so close to her right now, because Cat knew, she _knew_ Kara was confused, that Kara needed stability. "She's autistic."

"She has..." the girl trailed off, as though she was afraid to say the word, as if it would summon the devil himself.

"Autism. Spectrum. Disorder," Cat spat viciously. The girl said nothing. "What? Afraid to call it what it is? It's not a disease! It's who she is! And if you think that there's something wrong with people who are autistic, or bipolar, schizophrenic, or have any other kind of disability, then I don't want you working here. There is _nothing_ wrong with people who aren't carbon copies of 'normality'," she air quoted the words, "and if you think there is, I suggest you go to therapy."

The girl's mouth opens and closes like a fish's, and Cat turns, and Cat goes to Kara, and she guides Kara into her office, where they curl up on the couch together, and Kara lets Cat take care of her.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always open for suggestions or prompts, but won't do anything dirty. Fluff is my limit thanksss


End file.
